 Welcome, Commander Whitehead, you are now recognized for your opening comments. Thank you, Chairman Tester, for your kind introduction. Chairman DiCano and all members of the Committees on Veterans Affairs, thank you for providing me the opportunity to present the 2021 Legislative Program of DEB, Disabled American Veterans, an organization of more than one million members for ever changing wartime certs. My full written statement thoroughly details DEB's legislative priorities for the 117th Congress and reports on our many programs and accomplishments. So today, I'll just highlight some of our most critical policy goals. But before I do, I'd like to introduce my DEB colleagues joining me today. DEB Washington Headquarters, Executive Director, Randy Reece, DEB National Service Director, Jim Marslack, and DEB National Legislative Director, Joy Emel. I also want to thank the many DEB leaders watching this hearing at home who are vital to our organization's success. They include DEB's Senior and Junior Vice Commanders and the leaders of the DEB Exhilarate. I also want to extend my gratitude to DEB's National Agenda, our National Headquarters Executive Director, our National Executive Committee, our National Legislative Interim Committee, as well as my Chief of Staff. Of course, I also want to recognize our dedicated DEB members across the country, hundreds of whom would have been here in person to support me at this hearing if not for the ongoing pandemic. And finally, I want to thank my wife, Kim, who remains my most steadfast supporter and partner. Mr. Chairman, this past year, DEB commemorated a century of dedicated service to America's veterans, the families, and survivors. While it looked and felt different than we had planned, it gave us an important opportunity to reflect on our organization's history and the lessons we have learned in the face of adversity. DEB was formed in 1920 in the wake of World War I as the influenza pandemic of 1918 due to its end. We can find many parallels between the time of our establishment and our centennial's anniversary, a viral outbreak sweeping the globe, overburdened healthcare systems, economic downturn, soaring unemployment, an underlying at all, oppressing need to address critical issues impacting our nation's war-time disabled veterans. I'm proud to say that despite the significant challenges of this past year, and thanks to the dedication and indebted ability of our teams in Kentucky, Washington, D.C., and across the nation, DEB's mission did not change and our commitment did not falter. Mr. Chairman, at our core, DEB is rooted in service. When veterans needed us most, as many lost their jobs, fell ill, or became isolated in their homes, DEB members, volunteers, and staff quickly pivoted to provide necessary help and resources. Although our offices across the nation were closed to foot traffic to help limit the spread of the virus, DEB rapidly stood up for staff in newly two toll-free hotlines for veterans so our experts could assist them with claims and benefits. Since the pandemic began, we have fielded nearly 190,000 calls, and last year, DEB's service officers filed 140,000 new claims for veterans' benefits. DEB also established a COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Fund in April, provided financial aid to service-connected disabled veterans who lost employment or small business income in the wake of the outbreak. So far, DEB distributed more than $2 million in unemployment relief nationwide to veterans. And as we watched our unemployment numbers soar last year and hundreds of thousands of veterans were without work, DEB transformed all of our in-person career fairs to virtual events. Since 2014, our employment program has hosted 700 traditional and virtual career fairs, which has resulted in over 150,000 job offers for active duty service members, garden reserve members, veterans, and spouses who attended. As many of you know, DEB's transportation network has become a resource that veterans rely on for free transportation to their VA medical appointments. While safety precautions require the program to be halted as the pandemic began, DEB volunteers in my home state of Minnesota have nationwide approved it as possible to carry on through challenging times by implementing new measures to keep themselves and the veterans they serve safe. Despite COVID-related challenges last year, our volunteers logged almost 10 million miles and provided veterans nearly a quarter million rides to VA hospitals, same taxpayers more than $18 million. Mr. Chairman, although the full and lasting impact this pandemic is not yet clear, we do know that there are many issues our nations must stand ready to address. Healthcare is chief among them. Over the course of this pandemic, DEB had to make drastic changes in healthcare delivery. We saw a significant increase in telehealth services as VA adapted to the ever-changing landscape. There have also been serious economic impacts. Nearly 800,000 veterans were left searching for work last summer with disabled veterans disproportionately affected. How many of those veterans today are still unable to pay their bills, feed their families, and make ends meet? We know that before the pandemic, many veterans were already struggling with post-employment challenges, mental health issues, and in some cases, thoughts of suicide. While the VA has worked hard to keep veterans connected with their mental health providers, we are concerned that many face dark times. Many have been isolated from friends and family, and many have been without access to the support system and resources they had before the pandemic. We will all need to work together to ensure we do not lose ground in the battle against veterans' suicide. And we must also explore the future of VA healthcare will look like in the post-pandemic world. While we have many challenges ahead of us, we know that when we work together, despite obstacles we face, we can make progress. For example, led by your committees, Congress expanded access to benefits in healthcare for Vietnam veterans suffering from impacts of agent orders. Last year, more than 30,000 Vietnam veterans gained access to long overdue VA healthcare and received almost $800 million in retroactive benefit payments due to the passage of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. In addition, this past December, Congress approved legislation to expand the list of presumptive agent-orange diseases, extending healthcare benefits to 1,000 more Vietnam veterans and their survivors. We are grateful for less progress, but we must not allow other generations of veterans, like those exposed to birth pits, hazardous chemical agents at K-2 Bays in East Pakistan, or contaminated water stateside, to endure similar unnecessary delays getting healthcare and benefits. DAB is proud to be the organization that first brought the issue of birth pits to light more than a decade ago. While further research will help us examine the health impacts of these exposures and help determine whether to create presumptive disease associations, there is action Congress can take now to help veterans who serve near birth pits. We want to thank Senator Sullivan and Manchin for reintroducing the Bipartisan Veterans Birth Pits Exposure Recognition Act last week. This bill will create a concession of exposure to birth pits to help veterans more easily prove claims for benefits. We call on Congress to once again take this legislation up and quickly approve it. Mr. Chairman, we know that when veterans are injured or became ill in service, their families are affected as well. We must ensure that they continue to receive recognition and support, particularly when the veterans pass away. As we all know, thousands of veterans have died during this pandemic. And while their official cause of death may be listed as COVID, it is vitally important for survivors to have the relevant, service-connected conditions identified as principal or contributing factors in order to file claims for survivor benefits. We ask Congress to pass the Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act to require identification of these conditions on veterans' death certificates so we can properly care for these families. Another important issue that requires urgent congressional action is the expansion of EA's Comprehensive Caregivers Program. As you know, Congress mandated that the expansion of caregiver assistance to all generations of severely disabled veterans in two phases. However, the first phase was delayed by a full year due to the VA's failure to certify a new caregiver IT system on time. While veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam War eras became eligible in October, the delay pushed back the start date for the second phase of expansion. That impacts the golf war veterans and others who were injured or became ill between May 7, 1975 and September 11, 2001. We ask Congress to pass legislation and provide full funding to mandate that Phase II of the expansion be completed this year as the law intended. Another critical policy goal for DEV is assuring that the VA healthcare system has the resources, personnel, and facilities necessary to provide timely, high-quality care to all enrolled veterans. VA has begun an asset infrastructure review to develop a long-term plan to rebuild and realign VA's facilities to serve veterans where they live. In order to be successful, VA must consult closely with VA souls and veterans who use the VA healthcare system as they design this plan. In addition, Congress must be willing to fully fund the cost of maintaining all of VA's healthcare facilities. Mr. Chairman, this past year has challenged us as a nation in ways none of us could have imagined. But like President Abraham Lincoln, I have faith in America's resilience in such difficult times, he said, whoa. To give the truth, people can be dependent upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them real facts. Undoubtedly, we'll be experiencing this impact of this pandemic for years to come and must stand prepared to address the long-term ramifications for America's veterans by confronting these new realities. But together, move forward with candor and transparency, we can work to overcome the challenges and setbacks this past year has laid at our nation's doorstep. In closing, thank you for the opportunity to present DEV's 2021 legislative priorities and highlight the many program and services we provide to our heroes forever changed in service. May God continue to bless DEV, the men and women who serve our great nation and the United States of America. Thank you, Commander Whitehead. Your full written testimony will be included in the hearing record.